


Stormchasers

by cordeliadelayne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Established Relationship, Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, storm as metaphor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2015-09-02
Packaged: 2018-04-18 13:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4707806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cordeliadelayne/pseuds/cordeliadelayne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the ever wonderful lore who gave the prompt “chasing the storm”. Originally posted to Livejournal in 2009.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Stormchasers

**Author's Note:**

> For the ever wonderful lore who gave the prompt “chasing the storm”. Originally posted to Livejournal in 2009.

“You are an idiot.”

Lupin merely kept on unpacking his tattered suitcase, his back to the other man. They had only arrived at the house that morning, after a particularly arduous journey, and all Lupin wanted was to relax. Instead he found himself once again the focus of Snape’s disdain while all he wanted was a different kind of interest from the other man.

He knew though that soon enough Snape’s diatribe would loose steam and they would be able to discuss their current predicament calmly. Hopefully over a cup of tea and a couple of biscuits.

“Did you hear what I said?”

Lupin put his jacket on a coat hanger and then slotted it into his side of the wardrobe before he turned around to answer. His shoulders were slumped and his expression grave, but he could not help the annoyance he was feeling from slipping out with his words.

“I’m sorry, Severus, your point was rather drowned out by your righteous indignation. Perhaps you could try again?”

Snape blinked in surprise but tried to cover it up with a sneer. “I was merely pointing out what a disastrous time we are having.” He was standing in the doorway, eyes glaring at Lupin, the bed separating them from each other. In the harsh light of the room Snape looked like a mere wraith, haunting the upper part of the house.

“Are we?” Lupin asked softly. His resistance to Snape’s annoyance was crumbling and he rather thought he wouldn’t be able to take much more of it.

They stood facing each other in silence. Lupin was trying hard to maintain eye contact but to no avail. Snape was staring off into the distance, his hands clenching and unclenching as if he were trying to regain some control over himself.

Suddenly Snape turned away with a swirl of his cloak and stalked out of the room without uttering a word. Lupin sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. Their bed. All he’d wanted was to show Snape that a life together was possible. That they deserved a life together after everything they had been through - both alone and collectively. But the other man had been in an absolutely foul mood for days, even before Lupin had suggested this break in the country, and the storm that was currently waging above their heads certainly wasn’t helping. Nor was the one Lupin was fighting with in his heart.

He could hear Snape banging doors and slamming pots downstairs in the kitchen. He had no idea what the other man might be doing and he had very little inclination to find out. There was only so much heartache his body could sustain. He wondered for a moment if he should go down and see what was happening, even if he didn’t really want to. He suspected however that that was exactly what Snape expected him to do, and for once he wasn’t going to do that.

As the wind howled around their rented house and some slates from the roof skittered to the ground outside Remus kicked off his shoes and lay down on the bed. Perhaps he would feel better after a nap.

It could only have been twenty minutes later when he felt the bed dip beside him but he didn’t open his eyes until a cold hand found his own and squeezed it quickly before letting it go. He waited with bated breath for the other man to say something. Anything.

“I’ve made us some lunch.”

Remus stared up at dark eyes that bored into his. No matter what happened next he would never regret having those eyes focused solely on him.

“Lunch sounds good,” Remus replied. It wasn’t what he really wanted to say, but those words were stuck in the back of his throat, never to escape. And surely there would be no harm in breaking bread with Snape. That was after all why they were there.

Snape got up and walked downstairs and Lupin slowly padded after him. The storm was still swirling around them and certainly didn’t seem to have improved Snape’s mood.

“It’s just soup,” Snape said. Lupin frowned at the apologetic tone in Snape’s voice but didn’t comment on it. Instead he moved further into the kitchen, trying not to appear too hesitant or wary.

“Soup’s fine.”

Snape ladled it out as Lupin sat down. Some soot forced down the chimney by the hard wind outside coated part of the floor but aside from pausing to look at the mess, neither of them seemed willing to do anything about it.

Snape passed Lupin a bowl and a spoon and sat down himself. Lupin started to eat straightaway – aware now that he was really quite hungry. Snape seemed content to watch him for a moment before taking a few mouthfuls himself.

It was a really delicious, if simple, vegetable soup that Lupin wolfed down eagerly. The small kitchen they were in was very homely, if a little messy with pots and pans and vegetable peelings littered about the counter. It went some way to demonstrate just how anxious Snape actually was, that he would leave all this mess about without his usual insistence on everything in its place and that everything must be cleaned away as soon as it was no longer needed. The fact that he hadn’t even used a cleaning spell made Lupin relax even further. For all his harsh words, Snape wasn’t taking this time together lightly.

“There was a time I would have thought you’d try to poison me,” Lupin said conversationally.

“There’s a time that I would,” Snape replied.

Lupin looked up and smiled. Snape smiled tentatively back.

“Perhaps you’re not the only idiot in this relationship.”

Lupin didn’t try to hide his flush of excitement as Snape acknowledged the permanency of whatever it was they were doing.

“Perhaps?”

Snape put his spoon down and reached out to Lupin’s hand, which Lupin willingly gave. “Perhaps.”

Outside the storm died down.


End file.
